Burr Trail and Calf Creek Falls - Torrey, UT

Torrey, Utah

Boondocking

 

 

After our great hikes we headed for some more boondocking on Beas Lewis Flat Rd.  This was just outside of Capitol Reef up on the hill before Torrey.  No Verizon but AT&T worked.  The drive had such a pretty landscape.  You could see the snow capped mountains behind the desert.

It was just over an hour drive.  We gassed up and filled our propane at this hole in the mountain gas station. 

 

Here are the coordinates/location.

We sat up on a bluff overlooking the outskirts of Capitol Reef National Park.  We had the best spot on top which was very private.  There's room for several RVs.  Us, Lee & Trace and Greg & Cori had plenty of room for our rigs.

 

Nice fire ring surrounded by some boulders.  If the winds calm down we may actually have a fire.

Lee & Trace and Greg & Cori

Our rigs with Capitol Reef in the background.

 

We settled in and the next day we went for a day trip on the Burr Trail Road which we knew would take us to Anasazi State Park in the town of Boulder.  We all drove in Greg & Coir's "Nook".

It was a surprise to see this blanket of purple as well as such varied colorful rocks.

The scenery was spectacular.  Eventually we drove up a very, very steep dirt road with more views.

That's the dirt road looking down from several switchbacks.

Coming down into Boulder.

Hobie enjoying some laptime.

We stopped in at the Burr Trail Grill for some lunch.  There was another restaurant next door to it called Hell's Backbone Grill that I later found out was supposed to be a MUST.  We weren't able to go back to it but the other four did and said it was fantastic.  Steve and I split a burger with blue cheese, arugula and truffle aioli.  It was delicious!  The fries were yummy too.  Everyone enjoyed their lunch.  We all had some of their homemade pie.  Another winner!

Between the restaurant and the little gift shop was this missile made of rocks.  Pretty creative. Steve bought me a nice American Indian pillow that I had been admiring.  We will be changing the color scheme of the trailer later this year and the colors will be perfect!  Thanks Hun! I didn't get any pictures at the Anasazi Museum, but it had great displays inside and some buildings outside.

Another day we were off to hike the Calf Creek Falls Trail.  There is a beautiful waterfall at the end.  The drive was another long one that took us up over the summit where there is still plenty of snow.

A crazy 14% grade.  Not something you'd want to bring a large rig over!

That's Lee in front of us.  Hard to tell how steep it is from this picture.

We found parking spots, grabbed our packs and headed out.  It was somewhat cool on the hike in and not too many people on the trail.  The trail itself wasn't too bad but it did have some moderate spots.  There were also some sandy spots that gave you that, one-foot-forward-two-steps-back-kind-of-thing.

Trace in one of the natural windows.

The colors were once again fascinating.  Lots of bright reds and pinks.

Cori leading the way on some steeper, rocky climbs and a couple spots we weren't sure where the trail went and we had to double back a bit.

You mostly follow Calf Creek.  On the other side the walls of the canyon rise high up.

It was somewhat hard to see across the canyon but if you look in the middle of this picture you will see 3 painted figures on the wall.  This wall is far away making the actual size of the figures huge!

  

Things were starting to bloom and I liked getting some unusual close ups. 

There was quite a bit of trees beginning to leaf out which gave us quite a bit of shade which was nice as the return trip things really heated up.  The creek made a peaceful setting.  There is a pamphlet that you can pick up and read information on the markers spread out along the trail.

The waterfall was beautiful as it fell over some hanging moss and into a deep green pool of very cold water.  There were many people taking pictures and enjoying their lunch.

We had to get our picture too!

Me, Cori and Trace taking our turn!

On the way back it really warmed up and we were shedding layers.  At least it seemed faster on the way back.

I took another picture on the drive back at the summit along Rt 12.  The sides just drop off steeply on each side.  They call this section Hog Back.

There is a pull out on the way down where you get another view of the desert down below and the snow peaks in the far back.  Really pretty.

Our last day Lee and Trace took a break and we went on a short drive to the end of the park with Greg and Cori.  We brought Hurley but dogs are not allowed on the trails and in most parts of the National Park.  So while Greg, Cori and Steve took a walk down one of the washes, Hurley and I walked a bit down a nearby canyon and rested in the shade while we waited for them to return.

Really love these colors!

I didn't get any pictures of the great wings Lee and Cori prepared for us in their air fryers.  They had several sauces to go with them and we had a tasty last meal together.  The winds have calmed down so we finally had a nice fire in one of the pits surrounded by the boulders.  Jack and Hurley climbed all around the rocks while we got the fire going.

There was also a big moon rising.

Hard to read, but someone carved, "This is a nice place.  Please keep it clean."

Below Steve and Trace keep warm in their ponchos.

I also didn't get a last picture of Greg and Cori, but we loved spending the last couple of weeks with them hiking, exploring, eating and enjoying time together!  Until next time guys!

 

Safe Travels!